American Ninja is a 1985 American martial arts action film produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus's Cannon Films. Directed by Sam Firstenberg, who specialized in this genre in the 1980s, the film stars Michael Dudikoff in the title role and is the first installment in the American Ninja franchise, followed by American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987). It had a mixed reception, but it was a financial success, and since then, it has been considered a cult film.
Snake Eyes is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series, created by Larry Hama. He is one of the original and most popular members of the G.I. Joe Team, and is most known for his relationships with Scarlett and Storm Shadow. Snake Eyes is one of the most prominent characters in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise, having appeared in every series of the franchise since its inception. He is portrayed by Ray Park in the 2009 live-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Henry Golding portrays the titular character in the 2021 reboot Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.
Donald Lee Stroud is an American actor, musician, and surfer. Stroud has appeared in over 100 films and 200 television shows. He portrayed Disabled Stunt Driver Carl in Dukes Of Hazzard Season 2, Ep. 24 and 25 "Carnival of Thrills." 1980.
Scarlett is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. She is one of the original members of the G.I. Joe Team, and debuted in 1982. The character is also featured in both the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 animated series and comic books. Scarlett was portrayed by actress Rachel Nichols in the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Samara Weaving in the 2021 film Snake Eyes.
Michael Joseph Stephen Dudikoff Jr. is an American actor and martial artist. Born in New York City, his family later moved to Los Angeles. Dudikoff did different jobs to pay for his education, during this time he became a model. This led him to do acting auditions. He played supporting roles in films and television shows, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts action film American Ninja (1985).
David Bradley is an American actor and martial artist, known for starring in numerous low-budget action movies beginning in the late 1980s. His best-known films are the American Ninja sequels, and the Cyborg Cop films.
You Only Live Twice is a 1967 spy film and the fifth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is the first Bond film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, who later directed the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 film Moonraker, both starring Roger Moore. The screenplay of You Only Live Twice was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name. It is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming's plot, using only a few characters and locations from the book as the background for an entirely new story.
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt is a 1989 American martial arts action film directed by Cedric Sundstrom and starring David Bradley. It is based on a story by Gary Conway. A sequel to American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987), it is the third installment in the American Ninja franchise, followed by American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1991).
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation is a 1987 American martial arts action film directed by Sam Firstenberg. A sequel to American Ninja (1985), it is the second installment in the American Ninja franchise, followed by American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989). It stars Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Jeff Weston, Gary Conway, Michelle Botes and Larry Poindexter. The film is about two U.S. Army Rangers who are ordered to discover why Marines have been going missing from their posts at the US Embassy. The two discover The Lion (Conway) has been kidnapping the missing marines and having them brainwashed to join his army of assassins. The film was less successful than the predecessor, grossing $4 million domestically in the U.S. vs. $10.5 million, but it developed a cult following.
American Ninja V is a 1993 American martial arts action film starring David Bradley and Lee Reyes. It was directed by Bobby Jean Leonard and written by John Bryant Hedber, Greg Latter and George Saunders. It is the fifth and final installment in the American Ninja franchise. The film is set in Los Angeles, Rome and Venezuela. This film was not originally intended to be part of the American Ninja franchise. Cannon Pictures made it under the title American Dragons but the title was changed to American Ninja V before release. This explains why star David Bradley plays Joe, a different character than the Sean Davidson character he played in American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt and American Ninja 4: The Annihilation. The working title was Little Ninja Man.
Firefly is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is a mercenary who works for the Cobra Organization as a saboteur. He is portrayed by Ray Stevenson in the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Kamakura is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the first character created by Devil's Due Publishing to be made into a G.I. Joe figure, and later brought into the new animated series.
Rock 'n Roll is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's original machine gunner and debuted in 1982.
World War III is the title of a 12-issue comic book story that took place in issues #25-36 of the comic G.I. Joe: America's Elite, published by Devil's Due Publishing. The plot concerns Cobra Command's final attempt to take over the world. Originally begun to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise, World War III also marked the end of the original G.I. Joe comic continuity, which was begun by Larry Hama in the first G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series.
Billy Kessler is a fictional character in the comic book series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. He is the son of the main villain of the series, Cobra Commander, but fights against his father and the forces of Cobra Command, learning martial arts under the tutelage of Storm Shadow, who helps him after a botched attempt on Cobra Commander's life. While still a boy, he loses an eye and a leg when a Cobra operative destroys a car in which he is riding, and after recovering he goes on to become a member of his father's greatest enemy, the G.I. Joe Team.
Avenging Force is a 1986 American action film directed by Sam Firstenberg. The screenplay was written by James Booth, who co-starred in the film. It was originally intended as a sequel to the 1985 film Invasion U.S.A., which starred Chuck Norris in the role of Matt Hunter. In Avenging Force, Hunter faces off against a group of far-right extremists known as the Pentangle.
